Disjointed. That would be the best way to sum up Travis Pastrana’s NASCAR experience as well as his physical condition in 2012.

Jumping from team to team and racing in different divisions while still suffering from the worst injury of his career, as well as other past mishaps, the action sports star made little progress in his transition to stock cars.

Travis Pastrana is making the transition from extreme sports to NASCAR. (AP Photo)

Driving eight races in the K&N Pro Series East for Michael Waltrip Racing and eight Nationwide races for RAB Racing over a 19-week stretch, he never felt immersed in his racing program, which also included competing in Global RallyCross events.

Physically, he was a little out of whack, too. He was still having some discomfort with the ankle he shattered a year earlier and a longtime shoulder injury became worse.

The 29-year-old Pastrana, an 11-time X-Games gold medalist and four-time Rally champion, now has a clear path. A healthier Pastrana will embark on a full season of Nationwide racing in 2013 driving for Roush Fenway Racing.

“I was with a different group of people every weekend between the K&N (at MWR), the RAB guys were awesome and going to do Rally with new guys, I just felt like a fish out of water all year last year,” Pastrana said.

“It was a great learning experience. But as simple as NASCAR sounds, I (need to be) all in. … The only reason I’ve shut everything down in my life to do this is because I know that I can do it but it’s going to take everything I’ve got and definitely a team structure that they have here at Roush.”

The deal with Roush is a fresh start after a two-year winding path in NASCAR. Pastrana was supposed to run a full Nationwide schedule in 2012 after running a handful of races in 2011. All that changed two days before his scheduled Nationwide debut when he shattered his right ankle in an X-Games accident.

That sidelined the world famous action sports star for the rest of the year and sent his sponsors scurrying from their full-year plans.

“To have probably the worst injury I’ve ever had two days before I was supposed to drive my opening (race) in NASCAR just sent this whole thing in turmoil and everything went down the wrong road,” Pastrana said.

“It was the most devastating time in my life.”

In his 2012 comeback season, there were some bright spots. He finished 13th in the inaugural Nationwide race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In a tryout with Roush, he started fifth and placed 17th at Richmond in September.

Pastrana had left shoulder surgery in October and then embarked on a promotional tour for Nitro Circus, his traveling stunt show, in late 2012 where he had a physical therapist working with him daily.

“It wasn’t really working strength as much as trying to get everything to line up again, getting my mobility back and getting my body healthy … just to be where I can walk straight, I can move my wrists, I can move my ankles,” Pastrana said.

He is now back in North Carolina and ready for NASCAR. Or at least will be ready when the Nationwide season opens next month.

“My shoulder is really, really good — I’ve got full range of motion back,” Pastrana said. “I’m not quite there as far as the strength goes but in the next month I will back 100 percent.

“Physically, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been. As far as in good shape? No. I’m in the worst shape of my life.”

Pastrana said he will undergo a strenuous training program over the next month.

“Last year I couldn’t turn certain ways because the shoulder would pop out,” Pastrana said. “The ankle, I couldn’t move it far enough to get off the throttle all the way in the corners. It was a lot of little stuff that wasn’t a huge deal but didn’t help me focus on what I needed to be doing.”

His focus is now on NASCAR. Pastrana joins an organization that won back-to-back championships with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. the last two seasons. A teammate to Trevor Bayne, Pastrana will drive the No. 60 Ford with former Carl Edwards crew chief Chad Norris in charge.

Sponsorship will come from a variety of Roush Fenway and Pastrana partners. Red Bull and DC (shoes and clothing) fund Pastrana’s activities, and he said Red Bull wants him to focus on NASCAR.

“I like the team here,” Pastrana said. “I like the crew. I know they’re going to work hard to have the best cars. So no excuses. I’m in NASCAR. I want to race every race. I want to know where I sit. If I’m not doing well, I want to know that it’s me.”

Pastrana still owns a Global RallyCross team that he will compete with when not in conflict with his Nationwide schedule and has permission to compete in a Dodge in that series.

But he won’t try to do double duty and take his focus away from NASCAR. And he has pledged to stay off motorcycles.

“Red Bull is fully taking (my NASCAR career) under wing and beyond that, they said, ‘Look, if you’re going to do this, no freestyle (motorcycles), no this, no that.’

“That’s coming from a sponsor that would benefit more in the short term doing that (other stuff). It really shows they’re really committed to seeing me succeed in the sport.”

He said he needs to make progress weekly and hopes he can run consistently in the top 10 by the end of the year. NASCAR the internationally known Pastrana can help it reach younger fans and his own fan base already is itching for him to become a star like he was in action sports and Rally.

“Everyone is like, ‘When are you coming back to motorcycles?’” Pastrana said. “For me to say I’m not, a lot of people are like, ‘What the hell, you’re leaving us?’

“I’m like, ‘No, it’s a new challenge.’ I appreciate the fans that stuck with me and hopefully by the end of the season we’ll be in the hunt for some wins. I know we need to win to get the fan base over here.”